1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for mounting circuit components ("CCs") on a circuit substrate ("CS").
2. Related Art Statement
FIG. 45 shows a known CC mounting system 900 including a CS supporting device 912 which supports a CS 920, 921; a CC mounting device (not shown) which mounts, at a CC mounting position, CCs on the CS 920, 921 supported by the CS supporting device 912; a CS carry-in device 914 which carries in the CS 920, 921 and transfers the CS 920, 921 to the CS supporting device 912; and a CS carry-out device 916 which receives, from the CS supporting device 912, the CS 920, 921 on which the CCs have been mounted, and carries out the CS 920, 921. The CS carry-in and carry-out devices 914, 916 are provided along a CS carrying route on which the CS 920, 921 is carried, and the CC mounting device is provided at the CC mounting position offset from the CS carrying route. The CC supporting device 912 includes a main holding device 918 which holds the CS 920, 921, and a main-holding-device moving device which moves the main holding device 918 horizontally and vertically. Thus, the CS 920, 921 held by the main holding portion 918 is horizontally moved between the CC mounting position where the CCs are mounted on the CS 920, 921 by the CC mounting device and a CS transferring position where the CS 920, 921 is transferred from the CS carry-in device 914 and to the CS supporting device 912, and is transferred from the CS supporting device 912 to the CS carry-out device 916, and where the CS 920, 921 is vertically moved between a movement height position where the CS 920, 921 is moved for the CCs to be mounted thereon and a transferring height position where the CS 920, 921 is transferred between the CS supporting device 912 and the CS carry-in and carry-out devices 914, 916.
In the first step shown in FIG. 45, the CS 920 is carried in by the CS carry-in device 914; and, in the second step, the CS 920 is transferred to, and held by, the main holding device 918 being positioned at the CS transferring position and the transferring height position, while the CS 920 is moved in a direction (i.e., horizontal direction) substantially parallel to the plane of the CS 920. In the third step, the main holding device 918 holding the CS 920 is lowered to the movement height position and then is horizontally moved to the CC mounting position where the CCs are mounted on the CS 920. In the second step, the CS 921 on which the CCs have been mounted is transferred, at the CS transferring position and the transferring height position, to the CS carry-out device 916, while the CS 921 is moved in the horizontal direction. Thus, the CS 920 is transferred from the CS carry-in device 914 to the CS supporting device 912, while the CS 921 is concurrently transferred from the CS supporting device 912 to the CS carry-out device 916. This CS transferring operation (i.e., the transferring of the CS 920 onto the CS supporting device 912 and the transferring of the CS 921 from the same 912) needs a long time of about 5 seconds, as illustrated in FIG. 46. In particular, it is difficult to accelerate the transferring of the CS 921 from the CS supporting device 912 to the CS carry-out device 916. Meanwhile, if the acceleration and/or deceleration of movement of the CS 921 are/is increased to solve this problem, the CCs mounted on the CS 921 might move because the CCs have only temporarily been fixed to the CS 921 with solder paste or uncured adhesive.